It has been working with Tokyo University to develop an 80,000 gross tonne (gt) vessel that can be driven by wind, conventional fuel or a combination of both.

The consortium is currently building a half-size prototype at a shipyard in near Nagasaki. It plans to have it finished by the end of the year, according to the Nikkei report.

Designs call for the vessel to have five sails, 20 meters wide and 50 meters tall. The rigid sails are to be made of aluminium and fibre-reinforced plastic and will be controlled by computer to find the best trim.

When the wind is weak, the ship will use intermediate fuel oil (IFO) but in winds of at least 12 metres per second the ship will be able to operate under sail power alone.

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[…] the power of the wind, or of the sun. While it’s easy to scoff at the notion of returning to wind-driven cargo shipping, the reality is that it is extremely energy efficient, and not even necessarily […]